How Long Should You Stay at a Job Before Quitting?
8 min read
Given the nature of today’s economy, it’s sometimes difficult to remember that there was a time when people were employed by the same company throughout their careers. Those days are long gone, of course, and modern workers now switch jobs multiple times over the course of their careers.
It happens so frequently, in fact, that many employers consider it a normal part of doing business. At the same time, however, you don’t want to gain the reputation of being an unstable job-hopper.
That raises an important question: How long should you stay at a job before you quit? In this post, we will explore the answer to that question and offer some helpful advice you can use to make great job choice decisions that keep your career moving forward in a stable and productive way.
How long does the average worker remain at the same job?
It’s helpful to consider how long other workers remain at their jobs when you’re trying to chart your own career choices. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ January 2021 report, the median tenure of both salaried and wage workers was roughly four years. More than a quarter of both men and women had been with the same employer for a decade or more, and the average time older workers stayed at their jobs was significantly higher than that of younger employees.
How long should you stay at a job?
Even though the median employee tenure may be four years, that doesn’t mean you should always stay at each job for that amount of time. Obviously, there will be a variety of factors that you’ll need to consider when deciding just how long you need to stay with any given company. These factors can include things like
How well your skills align with the job
Your relationships with superiors and colleagues
Whether the company can provide the career opportunities you need to meet your goals
In a perfect world, those concerns would be addressed before you accept a job offer, but that’s not always possible.
So, how long should you stay at a job that doesn’t align with your career goals?
While opinions vary on that subject, most experts recommend that you try to remain at each job for at least two years. By doing so, you can build a reputation as a career-minded professional even as you work to develop new skills and accumulate positive achievements.
What about those times when you just can’t stay that long?
It’s vital to recognize that this two-year tenure recommendation is not a hard and fast rule. At the end of the day, you’ll always need to do what’s best for your career advancement – which may require you to quit your job after only a few months or a year.
If, for example, you take a job that turns out to be something far different than what you expected, no one could fault you for pursuing other options. It is also acceptable to leave a job if your boss or the work environment ends up being toxic.
Here's the thing to remember, though: these short-term stints of employment should be the exception rather than the norm. While prospective employers will understand that these types of bad placements happen from time to time, they will be less understanding if your resume shows a pattern of job-hopping.
Every new hire that a company onboards represents an investment in time, money, and other resources. If your resume suggests that you’re a flight risk, you may struggle to find an employer willing to give you the chance you need.
Is there such a thing as staying at a job too long?
There’s another side to the “how long should I stay at a job” question, of course. Just as it is possible to spend too little time at a particular job, it is also possible to stay at the same job too long.
For example, if you’ve stayed at a dead-end job for ten or fifteen years and then suddenly decide to make a career move, some employers might wonder why you waited so long. In some cases, they may perceive your disinterest in change as a sign that you’re not truly serious about growing as an employee.
The best advice anyone can give you when it comes to making that kind of decision is to always focus on your career needs. No matter how much you enjoy your job, you want to avoid staying in a position past the point that it stops providing a path to reaching your career objectives. Once you’ve learned everything you can from the role, you need to ask yourself whether the company and position can provide the opportunities you need to advance your career goals. If not, it may be time to move on.
Questions to ask yourself before you leave a job
One question that many people ask is, “How long should I stay at a job I hate?” As we noted earlier, that’s a decision each person needs to make on their own, based on their own work history, personality, and career needs.
Fortunately, there are some simple questions that you can ask yourself if you’re considering leaving your current job before the recommended two-year tenure. We’ve outlined some of the most useful questions below:
What is it about this job that I am trying to escape?
Before you consider leaving a job after a short amount of time, always make sure that you understand why you’re quitting. Identify the reasons why you feel you need to move on so that you can be sure that you’re truly ready to leave. Then, ask yourself whether it’s possible for you to improve things at your current job. If not, then it may indeed be time to find new employment.
Will a new position advance my career?
When you’re trying to figure out how long to give a new job before quitting, it is always wise to consider how your career might be impacted by a change. If your industry has certain expectations for employee tenure, it is always wise to try to follow those standards as closely as possible. You should also consider things like possible advancement at your current company and whether there are other solid career opportunities available to you. If your current job isn’t providing the challenges you need to grow as an employee, it’s probably time to leave.
Do I have the skills I need to land a better job?
There may also be times when you really want to leave a job after a short time but may not have the skills you need to take that next career step. Think about your career goals and which skills you’ll need to achieve them, and then ask yourself whether your current job can provide the experience you need to develop those abilities. If so, then you may want to consider staying in your current role – at least until you’ve learned what you need to compete for the job you really want.
Will I be able to explain my short tenure in this job?
As we noted earlier, you never want your resume to give the impression that you’re a job hopper. You can usually explain one or two short-term jobs, but those explanations might start to wear thin if your resume shows that you have a habit of jumping from job to job. If you have a habit of leaving jobs after a short amount of time, you should make sure that you know how to explain those decisions to prospective employers.
Here are a few tips that can help you explain short-term jobs to those employers:
Make sure that you have a valid reason for leaving each job. That can include an unfulfilled desire to learn new skills, reasons why the job just wasn’t a good fit for your abilities, or even the workplace structure’s impact on your working style.
Always talk about the skills that you possess that make you a better fit for the prospective employer’s open position.
If the position ends up being something different than what you initially expected, make sure that you explain that to any new potential employer.
Always be honest about your reasons for leaving while avoiding any negative commentary about former colleagues, the company, or your supervisors.
After explaining your resignation, redirect your focus to all the reasons why you’re sure that the job you’re seeking will be a better fit for your career and why you’re the best candidate for that position.
Knowing how long you should stay at a job can help your career
Though the current labor force is fluid, employers still want to know that their investment in a new employee is not wasted. When you know how long you should stay at a job and try to make your employment decisions in a way that advances your career goals, you’ll have a better chance of ensuring that your work history demonstrates the type of stability today’s employers are seeking.
Even if you know how long you should stay at a job, you may still have questions about how your work history impacts your resume. Get a free resume review from our experts today to make sure that it properly highlights your skills and experience.
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Written by
Ken Chase, Freelance Writer
During Ken's two decades as a freelance writer, he has covered everything from banking and fintech to business management and the entertainment industry. His true passion, however, has always been focused on helping others achieve their career goals with timely job search and interview advice or the occasional resume consultation. When he's not working, Ken can usually be found adventuring with family and friends or playing fetch with his demanding German Shepherd. Read more resume advice from Ken on ZipJob’s blog.
